1. Introduction. An Approach Through Ideas. A Convention to Regain Unity? A Secret Convention. Ratification and Implementation. A New and Unexpected Form of Federalism -- 2. Ideas from England. England's Ambivalent Medieval Heritage. England's Second Revolution. From Limited to Unlimited Power. The Country Opposition. English Ambivalence Imported -- 3. Political Motivations. The Problems as the Nationalists Saw Them. The Virginia Plan. The State Federalists. The Powers of Government. Restricting State Power. The General Result -- 4. Economic Motivations. The Role of Wealth in the Government. The Influence of Government on Wealth -- 5. An Anti-Democratic Convention? The House of Representatives. The Senate. The Executive. The Council of Revision and the Veto. Legislators' Eligibility for Executive Offices. The Judiciary. The Amending Article. The Mode of Ratification. Why an Anti-Democratic Bias? The General Result -- 6. The Convention Congress. Ratification. Amendments. The Nationalists in Control
The Ambiguity of the Senate. The Removal Power. Assumption of State Debts. The Bank. The Implications -- Appendix A State-Federalist Voting in the Philadelphia Convention -- Appendix B The First Senate -- Appendix C The First House
Summary
Creating the Constitution presents a different interpretation of the Convention and the First Congress, derived largely from a close reading of Farrand's Records and the Annals of Congress. Among its special features are a critical perspective on the Framers, an examination of Court Whig influence on the Federalists, the identification of a third group-the state Federalists-between the nationalists and states' righters, and a view of the First Congress as distorting the aims of the Convention
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-250) and index
